Health & Wellness
Monday, 11 April 2022 22:08

Foster Child Felonies

 

OKLAHOMA CITY – The plight of children across our state often leaves me frustrated and searching for solutions. I am not alone, as many state leaders focus on solutions to children’s issues.

The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy’s mission is to look at current and proposed policies and provide suggestions for improving systems based upon a data-centric approach. This is the foundation of our advocacy engagement.

Frustration can sometimes lead to ideas that might sound good, but which can make matters worse. One such idea this legislative session, borne of understandable frustration, would devastate some foster children. The proposal would allow felony charges against foster children who commit simple assault. This might sound like a deterrent, but a deeper dive suggests it is not a realistic long-term solution.

The definition for assault under Oklahoma law is the attempt or threat to commit bodily injury through force or violence. Assault is not just committing bodily harm; assault can occur when one feels threatened. Aggravated assault is more in line with bodily harm, which is the root of this issue.

Children removed from homes due to criminal acts by adults are often directed to locations that cannot sufficiently provide the mental care needed. These youth are understandably irrational with what they have endured. When a child is overly aggressive due to mental health issues, these facilities often cannot provide the supervision and care needed, such as strict curfews, intensive mental health counseling, and precautions that prevent harm to persons or property. Oklahoma has a serious shortage of facilities to care for children with severe aggressive behavior.

Unquestionably, adult workers deserve to feel safe. They know kids under their care are suffering; no worker should be placed in harm’s way while dealing with youth who require far more than their facility is equipped to manage.

Some think strict punishment is a deterrent, but those with severe emotional trauma often do not act in a premeditated manner. Likewise, those with violent behavior due to mental illnesses should not be shuffled from hospitals when insurance runs out to facilities ill-equipped to deal with malicious behavior.

Legislative leaders wisely allocated funding for increased youth mental health programs following the pandemic. Instead of creating felony charges for these children, we ask lawmakers to build upon their progress by funding adequate facilities and care for children under the supervision of the Department of Human Services and the Office of Juvenile Affairs.

We adults must provide hope and opportunity for recovery to these youth. They are living the worst experiences of their lives, having lost their families and their homes. It is simply wrong for many of these children, not acting in their right minds, to be slapped with felony convictions.

We know the justice system is harsher to children with child welfare backgrounds, confirmed by a 2019 report in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence. These children have greater chances of arrest, harsher and longer sentences for lesser offenses, and fewer chances for diversion. The bill in question would only perpetuate this sad reality.

Not only will we see lives destroyed, we taxpayers get to pick up the tab when treatment would have been less costly and more effective.

Please reach out to your legislators and ask them to fund treatment rather than place felonies on youth, except in those rare cases where a criminal charge is necessary to protect others.

  • About OICA: The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy was established in 1983 by a group of citizens seeking to create a strong advocacy network that would provide a voice for the needs of children and youth in Oklahoma, particularly those in the state’s care and those growing up amid poverty, violence, abuse and neglect, disparities, or other situations that put their lives and future at risk. Our mission statement: “Creating awareness, taking action, and changing policy to improve the health, safety, and well-being of Oklahoma’s children.”

 

Arkoma, Oklahoma - April 5, 2022: The Arkoma Emergency Auxiliary Foundation has announced they are hosting a special Fundraiser Spaghetti Dinner and Pie Auction event to be held Friday April 15th from 5:00 PM until 7:30 PM. The fundraising event will be held at the Singleton Elementary School Cafeteria located at 622 Cook St, in Arkoma, OK.


“In recent years, the siren system has developed multiple serious mechanical and radio system related issues that the Town of Arkoma simply does not have the funds to repair.” According to Bobby Parker, Emergency Management Director for the Town ofArkoma. “We are down to two or three sirens out of eight that are reliable. With severe weather season already upon us and deadly tornadoes already occurring across the
region, the need to raise money to perform even minimum repairs on the system is literally a Life and Death situation.” according to Director Parker.


The fundraising event will feature Food Provided by Betty Jeans Diner of Arkoma, Entertainment provided by Tim Wilson of the band Underdog and Friends, a pie auction of delicious, donated deserts and treats, and a Silent Auction of several items and services from local individuals and businesses.

Tickets are available for a $10 donation and may be obtained from any AEA Foundation Board Member or by going to www.aeafoundation.net or
https://aeafoundation-april22dinner.eventbrite.com


The foundation has also set up a donation site for individuals and businesses to donate directly to the siren repair project. The link to that site is
https://givesendgo.com/aeasirencritical
Contact:
Bobby Parker Jr,
President, Arkoma Emergency Auxiliary Foundation
Phone: (479)461-1894
Email: info@acafoundation.net


About Us:
The Arkoma Emergency Auxiliary Foundation (AEA Foundation) is a local Non-Profit organization who’s mission is to support the Office of Emergency Management and response agencies serving the Town of Arkoma, OK as well as Help the Citizens of Arkoma to be better prepared for and recover from emergencies and disasters.

For more information about the AEA Foundation, please go to www.aeafoundation.net or email us at info@aeafoundation.net

 

OKLAHOMA CITY – This is my favorite time of the year! The winter weather is finally starting to move on, outdoor activities ramp up, and I get to cultivate hot peppers and other vegetables in my garden. While I love all of that, to me the best part of spring is “March Madness,” with the different college basketball teams vying for the chance to win a national championship.

The furor generated by this competition, both for men and women, allows for these athletes to have the opportunity to represent their school, showcase their talent. and possibly move on to a career in professional athletics.

Spring’s anticipation and urgency are not just related to sports as the Oklahoma Legislature is also hard at work, with individual lawmakers working to keep their bills moving. This week brings us to the second legislative deadline for the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the State Senate.

This current deadline is when bills passed by a committee in the house of origin must be considered by the full House of Representatives or Senate. All bills heard and passed by the end of work on Thursday, March 24, will then move to the “opposite body.” The process starts again with House bills being considered in Senate committees and vice versa.

The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy is working to encourage hearings for some of these bills, essentially acting out the part of the rowdy fans in the stands cheering these ideas to advance. We maintain a tracking list of legislation impacting children, with about 75 measures left that we are monitoring.

Just like filling out an NCAA basketball tournament bracket, we have several bills on this list which we hope will advance. There are also bills that we are rooting against, hoping they fall short of reaching the final step in this version of “March Madness,” the governor’s desk. Our standard is this: if a bill helps improve the quality of life for Oklahoma’s children, we are fans; if it does not help the state’s children, we will oppose the idea.

If you would like to be a part of this effort, there will be a golden opportunity to help support the OICA team and the children we represent next week. You can join us at the Oklahoma State Capitol on Monday, March 28, for our “Child Advocacy Day.”

Advocates from around the state will be there to help promote ideas to lawmakers, and OICA will host its 2022 Chili Cook-off in the south parking lot of the State Capitol. Sampling chili concocted by advocates, organizations, and even some lawmakers will be free as the chili chefs seek the chili-making “one shining moment” crown.

We hope this day will provide a friendly setting for Oklahomans of all ages to come to the Capitol. It is a unique chance to learn the process while making new friends and developing contacts with officials who would benefit from those real-world experiences and stories from those working to help children.

While I cannot be in the stands this year to root on the teams I support, I will instead be at the Oklahoma State Capitol fighting for our state’s children and hoping to get meaningful legislation signed into law. If you would like more details, go to https://oica.org to learn how to be a part.

I hope to see you there with us “in the game” which will ensue over the next two months as we fulfill our mission to make Oklahoma the best state possible for children.

  • About OICA: The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy was established in 1983 by a group of citizens seeking to create a strong advocacy network that would provide a voice for the needs of children and youth in Oklahoma, particularly those in the state’s care and those growing up amid poverty, violence, abuse and neglect, disparities, or other situations that put their lives and future at risk. Our mission statement: “Creating awareness, taking action, and changing policy to improve the health, safety, and well-being of Oklahoma’s children.”

The swing bed program at Eastern Oklahoma Medical Center is here to help you home.

The goal of the EOMC Swing Bed Program is to help patients return home safely.

Swing bed services can help patients who need:

• Long term IV antibiotics

• Wound Care

• Rehab after surgery

• Therapy after a stroke, accident or injury

• Rehab or skilled care after a recent accident

Swing bed services are a stop between hospital and home, where patients get the continued care, they need while recovering from an illness, injury or surgery. Our skilled staff provides care 24 hours a day to help patients return home safely. The length of stay varies, but the quality of care is consistent. After meeting therapy goals, patients can return home stronger and with more confidence.

Questions?

Please visit EOMC's website at: www.eomchospital.com/swing-bed-program/ or give them a call at 918-647-8161.

 

OSU Coaches vs. Cancer Now Becomes Cowboys vs. Cancer

 

(STILLWATER, Oklahoma, March 12, 2022) — The Oklahoma State University Coaches vs. Cancer organization today announced the establishment of the Eddie Sutton Foundation to help raise funds for those battling cancer.

The foundation will focus on research, with a special emphasis on pediatric cancer, and will also seek to make a difference in the lives of those battling the disease. The foundation honors the life and legacy of former OSU men’s basketball coach Eddie Sutton, who entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.

“The Sutton family is honored and humbled by the creation of the Eddie Sutton Foundation, which will make it their mission to continue the fight against cancer,” said Kim Sutton, wife of Scott Sutton and daughter-in-law of the late Eddie Sutton. “Coach Sutton was instrumental in bringing Coaches versus Cancer to the OSU campus. He cherished the opportunity to help people and considered the people of Oklahoma State his family, so bringing the two entities together is the perfect way to honor him. He would be so proud to know that he is a part of such a wonderful cause.”

With the announcement of the foundation, Coaches vs. Cancer will now become Cowboys vs. Cancer to better reflect the mission and character of the organization at OSU. Coaches vs. Cancer is a national partnership between the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society. The newly named Cowboys vs. Cancer program will operate under the foundation, encompass all sports at OSU and will align with a variety of reputable cancer research foundations in addition to the American Cancer Society.

“Starting during Eddie Sutton’s time as our basketball coach, OSU Cowboys vs. Cancer has grown into one of the very best things we do at OSU Athletics,” said OSU Athletic Director Chad Weiberg. “Our student-athletes have embraced their unique and special platform to support those fighting cancer, especially the kids. While most programs across the country focus on only men’s basketball, we at OSU have expanded to include all sports. Coaches, staff and former players from all our sports are devoted to raising funds to support cancer research and families going through the fight. The creation of the Eddie Sutton Foundation makes that expansion official. We look forward to growing our support of local and OSU families in the fight against cancer.”

Current OSU men’s basketball coach Mike Boynton echoed Weiberg’s excitement about the announcement, which was made on what would have been Sutton’s 86th birthday.

“I am thrilled about the announcement of the Eddie Sutton Foundation,” Boynton said. “Coach Sutton, along with his good friend Norm Stewart, are a few of the pioneers for the existence of the Coaches vs. Cancer initiative. Coach Sutton’s early efforts have led directly to the involvement of many coaches across the country. That involvement has triggered several other initiatives where money for cancer research and treatment is being raised.

“Coach is also clearly the reason that we at OSU have worked to make a major impact. It is fitting that, on his birthday, we are making this announcement because ‘Coach’ deserves to be celebrated forever. I look forward to being heavily involved in the efforts to make this foundation one of the linchpins of the fight against the terrible disease.”

“The establishment of the Eddie Sutton Foundation ensures that coach Sutton’s legacy of helping those in need will continue for decades to come,” said Dave Hunziker, Cowboys vs. Cancer spokesman and radio voice for Cowboy football and basketball. “Coach Sutton was committed to the fight against cancer and that fight will continue at Oklahoma State University through this new foundation in his name.”

The Eddie Sutton Foundation’s mission is fueled by championing coach Sutton’s three principles of defense, dedication and discipline. Research is the best defense against cancer. The foundation embraces unwavering dedication to the cause and to the families that will be served. Discipline is a must for this new team to stay the course and implement a full-court press that will lead to a cure.

The Cowboys vs. Cancer Cowboy Classic will be the first major fundraiser for the new foundation. Team spots and sponsorships are currently available for the event, which will be May 9 at Stillwater Country Club. The CvC Cowboy Classic features an elite list of celebrity golfers and will include a visit from a special group of cancer survivors. These celebrities will be auctioned off to join your team as you play the beautiful Stillwater Country Club course. Whether you are a fan of the game, a fan of the university or playing in honor/memory of someone, the CvC Cowboy Classic is a great event with a great cause.

For more information about the foundation and how to donate, visit TheEddieSuttonFoundation.com.

 

Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant university that prepares students for success. OSU has more than 34,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 24,000 on its combined Stillwater and Tulsa campuses, with students from all 50 states and around 100 nations. Established in 1890, OSU has graduated more than 275,000 students to serve the state of Oklahoma, the nation and the world.

I've filed two bills this year to deal with pain management clinics and drug testing.

House Bill 3004 addresses public or private pain management clinics that dispense controlled dangerous substances. It would require such clinics to register with the State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision, with some exceptions, and it would require that only an appropriately licensed physician dispense the drugs after a physical examination of the patient is performed on the same day as the substances are dispensed.

House Bill 3260 would require that in all situations that the state requires a drug test to be performed on an individual, the test be performed through a hair follicle, urine or nail analysis, accompanied by a rapid DNA test to ensure accuracy. This will help ensure a sample belongs to the individual being tested.

These bills came as a response to learning about the death of Hannah McKenzie who in 2017 died from an overdose of Methadone that was dispensed as a take-home supply to another person from a pain management clinic in Roland, OK. The other person was later charged in her death.

I held an interim study this year that was attended by a drug enforcement agent, the deputy first assistant for the state's Attorney General, the public information officer for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, and the directors of the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy and the Oklahoma Medical Board. All agreed that methadone, a Schedule II narcotic that can be fatal at certain doses, has too little regulation.

If it was better regulated, beautiful, young Hannah McKenzie might be alive today, and her parents would not have lost the love of their lives.

HB3004 specifies that a physician authorized to prescribe controlled dangerous substances who practices at a pain management clinic is responsible for maintaining the control and security of his or her prescription blanks and any other method used for subscribing these substances. They also would be responsible for ensuring quality assurance and for making sure the facility is structurally sound and in good repair and free from any health and safety hazards. The physician also would have to notify the State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision within 10 days of beginning or ending his or her practice at a pain management clinic.

A clinic would have to have appropriate signage to improve public awareness and safety.

These changes should be required of any person or facility that distributes any potentially harmful drug. I want people to be able to get the help they need to get free of an addiction or to manage their pain, but I also want the public to be protected. These clinics have operated for too long with little to no regulation, and that has to change.

As always, if I can help you with anything, feel free to call my Capitol office at (405) 557-7413 or email me at rick.west@okhouse.gov.

  • Rick West serves District 3 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes part of LeFlore County.

 

OKLAHOMA CITY – There has been much conversation about censorship and “cancel culture” recently. They are two sides of the same coin, and both are dangers to the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Some would whip the masses into a frenzy to protest or ban conversations that do not align with their perceptions. Ironically, some of the people complaining most about cancel culture are the first ones lining up to censor books.

A recent example of cancel culture/censorship is a school district’s ban of the Pulitzer-prize winning graphic novel “Maus” from eighth grade classes in a Tennessee school district citing “unnecessary use of profanity and nudity in its depiction of violence and suicide” for the ban.

“Maus” was the creation of Art Spiegelman, an artist who took stories shared by his father about his time Nazi Germany and his parents’ imprisonment. The reference to nudity and suicide was a one-panel interpretation of the death of Spiegelman’s mother in a concentration camp. Throughout the book, you will see a graphic narrative what millions of Jews endured at the hands of fascists.

Regarding the ban, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum stated, “‘Maus’ has played a vital role in educating about the Holocaust through sharing detailed and personal experiences of victims and survivors. Teaching about the Holocaust using books like ‘Maus’ can inspire students to think critically about the past and their own roles and responsibilities today.”

The resulting furor led Nirvana Comics in Knoxville, Tennessee, and other shops to offer free copies to students in McMinn County, the home of the school district banning the novel. The support generated through their “Go Fund Me” account led to four times the amount requested, which created the opportunity to for students from across the United States to reserve a free copy simply by messaging the shop on their Facebook or Twitter accounts.

While I understand the need to provide age-appropriate materials, history must be taught factually and in a way that interests students. Many schools across the country have chosen this novel for students to learn the horrors of the Holocaust.

I own a copy of “Maus.” What prompted me to buy this was a tour of Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg, a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany. I toured that site years ago to learn more of the history of what truly happened, and I found textbooks from which I was taught woefully failed to describe the reality. I purchased “Maus” in the bookstore located there, used to raise funds to preserve the site so future generations will remember the evil that happened.

I will never forget the horrors of what I saw. Because everyone cannot take such a tour, it makes works like “Maus” so important.

State Rep. John Waldron has worked with the Jewish Federation of Tulsa to file a bill (HB 3720) to ensure the Holocaust is taught in Oklahoma schools. A second bill (HB 3721) would create a select commission to advise schools on Holocaust education, help implement antisemitism awareness, and organizing a Jewish Holocaust remembrance event.

Discussions of the Holocaust, or the Tulsa Race Massacre, or many of humans’ failings with one another will make most anyone uncomfortable. Humanity has often stumbled, but the miracle is that we have always strived to be better. We cannot understand the miracle unless we stop the censorship or “canceling” of one another. Please have the tough conversations with your own kids, and elect people who will represent a balance of appropriate and necessary.

  • About OICA: The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy was established in 1983 by a group of citizens seeking to create a strong advocacy network that would provide a voice for the needs of children and youth in Oklahoma, particularly those in the state’s care and those growing up amid poverty, violence, abuse and neglect, disparities, or other situations that put their lives and future at risk. Our mission statement: “Creating awareness, taking action, and changing policy to improve the health, safety, and well-being of Oklahoma’s children.”


OKLAHOMA CITY - Attorney General John O’Connor today joined a coalition of 27 attorneys general, led by Kentucky, in a letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), asking the agency to withdraw its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large employers. The letter follows a 6-3 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court last week, which temporarily halted the Biden Administration’s OSHA vaccine mandate in response to a legal challenge brought by Attorney General O’Connor and other state attorneys general in addition to trade groups, nonprofits, and private businesses.

Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, OSHA has not withdrawn the emergency temporary standard (ETS), which would require vaccination for tens of millions of employees across the country.

“Last week, in a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the states challenging the OSHA vaccine mandate,” said Attorney General John O’Connor. “Considering that ruling, I urge the Biden Administration to respect the Court’s decision and immediately withdraw its vaccine mandate for large employers.”

In the letter, the coalition maintains that the current OSHA mandate is unlawful because the agency does not have the authority to issue a broad vaccine mandate for larger employers. The letter states that, “[T]he [Occupational Safety and Health] Act was designed to address dangers employees face at work because of their work—not dangers that are no more prevalent at work than in society generally. The United States Supreme Court agrees and held that the ETS—or any similar permanent standard for that matter—fails to address a unique workplace hazard and is therefore unlawful.”

The coalition also described the detrimental effect that the OSHA mandate will have on employers and businesses if it goes into effect: “The ETS fails to adequately consider the widespread economic damage the vaccine mandate may cause. This impact will be especially felt by vulnerable small businesses if a permanent standard applies to them.”

The letter was sent to OSHA as part of the federal government’s formal regulatory comment process. The letter was led by Kentucky and co-signed by attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Happy New Year! I hope your celebration of the beginning of 2022 was fun, and in these current times, safe!

Like so many of you, I contemplated my New Year’s resolutions. Doing that made me curious about the origins of this practice. Thanks to the History Channel for providing some fascinating insight on this.

The ancient Babylonians are believed to have been the first to make New Year’s resolutions, starting around 4,000 years ago. They were the first to hold recorded celebrations in honor of the new year. They also made commitments to the gods to repay debts and return borrowed objects.

Similarly, Julius Caesar adjusted the calendar in Rome and established January 1 as the beginning of the new year around 46 B.C. The Romans believed Janus, the two-faced god whose spirit inhabited doorways and arches, symbolically looked back into the previous year and ahead into the future. They offered sacrifices to the deity and made promises of good conduct for the coming year.

For early Christians, resolutions became a tradition on the first day of the new year to think about past mistakes and resolve to do and be better in the coming year. In 1740, English clergyman John Wesley, founder of Methodism, created the Covenant Renewal Service, most held on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Also known as watch night services, these included readings from Scriptures and hymn singing and served as a spiritual alternative to the raucous celebrations which celebrated the new year.

According to the website discoverhappyhabits.com and information published last November, of those who make a New Year’s resolution, 75% are still successful in keeping it after one week. After two weeks, the number drops to 71%; after a month, the number drops again to 64%; and after six months, 46% of people who make a resolution are still successful in keeping it. For 2022, 31% of survey participants planned on making resolutions, 19% are still undecided.

In addition, they found the most popular resolutions for 2022 are exercising more and improving fitness (50% of participants), losing weight (48%), saving money (44%), and improving diet (39%). Of those that made resolutions in 2021, 35% kept all their resolutions, 49% kept some of their resolutions, and only 16% failed at keeping any of their resolutions.

Thinking back on my resolutions from last year, I fell short of some but succeeded with other goals. I have learned happiness is mainly a state of mind, and you are the only one who can control how you handle situations. Obstacles will often attempt to prevent or reduce the enjoyment you find in your personal and work life, so how you handle your attitude is key. With that, these other resolutions requiring action will become much more manageable.

Best wishes to you for a prosperous 2022! Don’t forget, the children of Oklahoma need you to be active and passionate about the issues in which the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy works daily.

I resolve to work to keep you better informed and make it easier to advocate for children’s best interests. Together, we can make this the most-improved year overall for young Oklahomans. Hopefully, on December 31, we can look back at the successful accomplishment of this resolution. You can sign up on oica.org for our weekly newsletter to follow our progress together.

  • About OICA: The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy was established in 1983 by a group of citizens seeking to create a strong advocacy network that would provide a voice for the needs of children and youth in Oklahoma, particularly those in the state’s care and those growing up amid poverty, violence, abuse and neglect, disparities, or other situations that put their lives and future at risk. Our mission statement: “Creating awareness, taking action, and changing policy to improve the health, safety, and well-being of Oklahoma’s children.”
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